The Power of Positivity

by Kim Shockley My husband was telling me the other day about a podcast he listened to that was talking about the natural tendency of our minds to go to negative thoughts when we let our minds wander. I’ve experienced this!  I can’t count the times that I’ve been going to a consultation and realize as I’m traveling that I’m actually thinking about how awful the experience might be.  Whether I feel I’m unprepared, or the people I’m going to meet won’t be receptive, or something equally terrible that might happen!  It’s sort of a spiraling down of negative thoughts that puts us in bad moods or fearful attitudes.  The really funny thing is that the more negative my thoughts, often the more positive the experience – it’s a God-inspired Gibbs head slap!  Who knew that this was a universal human tendency! As I was thinking about this my heart turned to Psalm 121:1-2 -

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

How often do I need the help of my relationship with God to remind me to look to God for the positive thoughts?  Every time I find myself spiraling down, I’m learning to “lift up my eyes” sooner rather than later.  In the midst of my negative thoughts I pull myself back and begin to pray that God will use me in the work I have to do. As maturing Christian disciples this odd little human tendency becomes an opportunity to see how God wired us to rely on our relationship with God.  So often, when our lives are going along just fine we drift away from that closeness with God that we are supposed to desire.  But the drift itself is meant to pull us close!  What a marvelous way to think of how God designed us with a tendency that we can use to pay attention to God’s work within us.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.